Aurora Intern Honored at SNVC

The Aurora Foundation is pleased to announce the successful completion of another student veteran intern. Irna May Connor, an Air Force veteran, supported SNVC, a small veteran-owned business providing IT solutions for both the government and commercial market. During her internship, she not only completed her degree in Sociology at George Mason but also decided to pursue her Master’s degree with the intent to continue on toward a Ph.D.

During her internship with SNVC, Irna May supported the Vice President of Human Capital Solutions, Mr. Reggie Williams. She focused her work on the Operations aspect of the department, and has consolidated and written the Data Analyst Processes that span all aspects of the company. These processes required input from a variety of stakeholders so that they could be synopsized each week in a report out to the company’s Executive Team. She also successfully completed the “Signature Course” based on Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The 7 Habits are part of each Aurora internship, which expands the internship to include both applied technical aspects as well as soft skills, like leadership.

Irna May noted that this experience taught her a lot about the business world, especially how her military training in continuity of operations and the importance of process carried over to a commercial company like SNVC. Through the “7 Habits” Training, she learned the importance of planning early, and knowing how to make what’s important in life a priority. “I’m so thankful for this opportunity to work with SNVC and the Aurora Foundation. I learned a lot from you and will miss working here!” During her remarks at her recognition ceremony, she specifically thanked Reggie Williams for his mentorship and guidance. “Coming out of the military, it’s very hard to find a good mentor who will help you through the transition. Reggie has been a great support and mentor to me.” Mr. Williams echoed her words as he said, “There are some people who come into our lives and carve out a place that will also be special. Irna May has done to me. On behalf of all of us at SNVC, we are thankful to Irna May and the talents she brought to our team.”

In support of the Aurora Foundation’s mission, which is to enable student veterans to successfully graduate from college and enter the workforce, the Foundation assists student veterans with the identification of full-time, paid internship opportunities in various fields and industries. Student veterans have the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in their areas of interest and gain insight into the civilian workforce. To date, the Aurora Foundation has graduated 19 interns across a variety of industries, including National Security, Finance/Banking, Law, IT, and Marketing. For more information about Aurora’s internship program, please contact Ellen Hembree at Ellen.Baumgardner@Aurora4vets.org.